


Missing Pieces

by aretia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 10:59:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14331036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: Keith has misgivings about leaving the Blade of Marmora and returning to Voltron, and about confessing his feelings for his friend.





	Missing Pieces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arka W (arka_r)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/gifts).



> My gift for Arka for the Voltron Ship Exchange! I was so happy to have the chance to make a gift for you again. Hope you enjoy it!

Keith stood in front of the shuttle, shifting back and forth on his feet nervously. It had been months since he’d started his training with the Blade, and yet he felt like his time here had been too short. He had finally had a chance to explore the other side of his heritage, and aid the war effort in a way that really mattered—but now his duty lay with Voltron. He had been called back to the Castle of Lions because now that Allura was busy helping Lotor study Altean magic, she didn’t have time to be the Blue Paladin. That meant that Lance filled in for her, and they needed Keith to return to his role in Red. Keith had been looking forward to seeing the paladins again, but now it only filled him with dread. 

Keith traced his hands over his face and ears. While Keith was training with the Blade, he had access to optimized Galra nutrition, and it had changed his body. He had grown taller by a small but noticeable amount. His skin had turned purple with twin marks on his cheeks that looked like scars, trailing down to the back of his neck. The whites of his eyes had turned yellow, making the indigo of his irises stand out even more. His ears had elongated into a point, even more exaggerated than Allura’s, with a smaller point on the lobe, and they had much more freedom of movement and expression than they had before. Right now, the way they were pinned back against the sides of his head indicated trepidation.

It occurred to Keith that none of the Blades had pointed out his physical transformation. It was just normal to them; it made him fit in better, even. He wasn’t sure if the paladins would be as accepting. He remembered the way Allura had looked at him when she first found out that he had Galra blood. Would it get worse now that he _looked_ Galra too? Keith didn’t want to find out. He couldn’t bear being rejected again by the people he had finally begun to see as his family.

At least here in the Blade, he had started to find a family too. He had friends. He had Regris. Keith’s roommate, a half-Galra, half-Sylvyth hybrid, could relate to Keith’s worries about not fitting in, and the two of them had quickly become inseparable friends. 

Keith couldn’t explain the way his heart fluttered when he thought about Regris, or the tranquility he felt whenever Regris was around. He hoped that Regris felt the same. Keith was afraid to bring up the subject, in case he got rejected and lost Regris as a friend. He had already almost lost Regris _twice_ on dangerous missions, and that had felt like having a piece of his heart ripped out. Seeing him walk away because Keith had misjudged his feelings would almost hurt worse. 

“Are you ready to go, Keith?” Kolivan asked, placing a large hand on Keith’s shoulder and startling him out of his thoughts.

“Uh, sure. Just give me a moment,” Keith replied. He glanced around the bright and sterile hangar, empty except for himself and Kolivan. Regris was supposed to meet him here to see him off. Regris was a bit scatterbrained, so Keith wasn’t surprised that he was late, but his heart sank as he realized that he might not get to see him one last time before he left for the Castle. 

Keith stepped up the stairs to the shuttle, casting one last longing look over the hangar before he hung his head.

“Keith, wait!” a voice called out. Keith’s head snapped back up, and he glanced in the direction of the hangar entrance. Regris was sprinting towards him, and Kolivan held out their arm to try to hold him back but Regris ducked under it. Kolivan placed their head in their hand and shook their head as Regris jumped up onto the stairs, perching himself on the railing next to Keith. 

“How nice of you to finally show up,” Keith said wryly. “I thought you weren’t going to come.” 

“How could I miss seeing off my best friend?” Regris panted through his mask. “I don’t really have time to give you a proper send-off hug or anything. But listen.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “The comm system is scheduled for maintenance a week from tomorrow at midnight, and any communications won’t be recorded. Want to call me for a little catch-up video chat?”

“That sounds great,” Keith said with a smile.

“Perfect. Got your watch?” Regris asked. Keith nodded, and raised his wrist. Regris pressed his wrist against Keith’s to check that the watch he had given him was still synced with his own. Keith felt his face involuntarily heat up at the contact, and hoped Regris wouldn’t notice.

“I’ll see you then,” Regris said. Then, Kolivan pulled him down by his tail and scolded him, saying something about how he could show up on time or not at all. Keith snickered, giving a fond look to Regris as he was dragged out the door, and then made his way into the cockpit of the shuttle. The knot of nerves in his stomach had miraculously untangled.

 

Midnight on the castle was dark and quiet, and the rest of the paladins were asleep when Keith snuck out of his room. Only the hum of the machinery accompanied the sound of his bare feet thumping against the floor as he followed the pale blue lines of light to the communications room. His ears twitched, carefully listening for anyone moving around who could catch him sneaking out past curfew.

He wasn’t supposed to contact the Blade of Marmora outside of essential mission communications. Not that the rules had ever stopped Keith before. Once he reached the comm screen, Keith made a call to the Blade communications office. The screen displayed a small, dark room, crowded with servers and tangled wires, cast in an indigo glow by the light strips on the walls. No one was there. 

Keith’s gut twisted as he thought that Regris might have forgotten about their meeting time. Then, he saw Regris walking into the frame, and Keith couldn’t help the relieved grin that spread across his face. Regris hurriedly sat down in the chair and pulled on his headphones. 

“Hi, Keith,” Regris said, and Keith’s heart swelled at the sound of his voice. “Sorry I was a little late. I had trouble finding the code to get into this room.”

“Are you sure you’re not going to get in trouble for being here?” Keith asked, his voice wavering with concern. 

“Nah. I’m in training to become a communications officer. I’ll just tell Kolivan that I was practicing with the equipment,” Regris replied breezily. “Oh, hang on a tick.”

Regris seemed to notice suddenly that he was still wearing his mask. It was like a part of him, so Keith couldn’t blame him for forgetting. Regris had corrective lenses implanted in his mask because Sylvyth had poor vision compared to Galra. Once he took off the mask, he immediately put on his glasses, which he had explained to Keith that he only wore on base because he was worried they would get broken on missions.

It was a shame that he didn’t get to wear them more often, since he looked adorable in them. His red irises and yellow sclera were magnified by the lenses, and he blinked at the screen a few times while his vision adjusted. “Ah, that’s much better,” said Regris. “How have things been over there, Keith?”

Keith hunched his shoulders toward his ears and glanced away from the screen. He pulled his feet onto the chair and curled his knees up to his chest. “Awkward,” Keith replied finally. “For one thing, no one expected me to come back looking like this.” Keith gestured vaguely to his face.

“They’re your friends. I’m sure they don’t care how you look,” Regris said.

“No, you’re right. They’re not rude about it or anything,” Keith agreed. Aside from Hunk bragging that _I knew he was going to turn purple!_ and Lance sulking because Keith had grown _half an inch_ taller than him, no one really brought it up. 

“But that’s not the only problem,” Keith went on. “I feel like they found a routine in their lives without me. It’s like I don’t have a place anymore.” 

“Aw, Keith…” Regris let out a sympathetic hiss, which was his version of a sigh. “Remember how much you missed them?” 

How could Keith forget the lonely nights he’d spent crying in his bunk at the Blade, when Regris would crawl up from his bed and comfort him? That was how the two Blades had met, after all. Keith hadn’t wanted anyone to hear him crying, but his lower bunk-mate had picked it up with his exceptional hearing, and wouldn’t go back to sleep until Keith let him give him a hug. Keith never had to seek him out for comfort; Regris just provided it, without question. 

“Yeah?” said Keith, lost in reminiscing.

“I’m sure they missed you too,” Regris said, offering a kind smile. 

Of course the paladins had welcomed him back with warm hugs and warm food. But when he went to bed in his small, barren room again that night, he still felt alone. He still felt like he didn’t belong. He knew what made him different now, but that didn’t make it any less difficult. 

“I know, but I feel like something is missing,” Keith sighed. “Maybe I belong back with the Blade.”

“You belong wherever your heart says you do,” Regris reassured him.

“Regris,” Keith said, staring down at his knees. After almost losing Regris so many times, all Keith wanted was to be close to him. Every time he saw Regris, Keith was always afraid it would be the last time, that he would never get the chance to tell Regris how he felt. He had to trust that his bond with Regris was strong enough not to be broken by admitting his feelings, even if they weren’t mutual. 

He looked back up again and his intense gaze locked with Regris’s. There was still hesitation in his voice, but Keith steeled his nerves and said, “I think I belong with you.” 

Regris blinked a few times in surprise, and then an understanding smile softened his features. “I think you do too,” he said. “There will always be a place for you by my side.”

“I wish I could be there with you now,” said Keith, his voice cracking slightly. How he longed for Regris to envelop him in his arms and let him collapse in the safety of his embrace. 

“I know. Just hold on,” said Regris. “I’ll see you again soon.”

 

After a couple of weeks of being back on the castle, it was finally starting to feel like things were back to normal. Keith was sitting in the lounge, listening to Hunk and Pidge argue about some technical terms he didn’t understand. 

The door slid open, and Shiro walked into the room. “Keith? There’s a member of the Blade of Marmora here to drop off some intel. They’re waiting for you in hangar 5B.”

“You want me to go?” asked Keith.

“Yes. You are a Blade, right? You should be the one to handle our relations with them,” Shiro said matter-of-factly.

“But aren’t you usually the one who talks to Kolivan about important stuff like that?” Keith said.

“Did I say it was Kolivan?” replied Shiro, a hint of a knowing smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Understanding washed over Keith’s features, and he hurriedly got up and went down to the hangar. 

Keith bounced nervously on his heels while he waited in front of the Blade of Marmora craft. Then the pilot stepped out of it, tail swishing on the ground. “Regris!” Keith called out.

“Keith!” said Regris, and before he even had a chance to lower his mask, Keith ran up to him and threw his arms around him. Regris wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, lifting him up and spinning him around. He removed his mask and pulled Keith close to nuzzle their foreheads together.

“It’s so good to see you again,” Keith breathed.

“Same to you,” Regris replied. Regris placed him back on his feet, and leaned down to nuzzle his nose against Keith’s again, purring contentedly.

“You’ve never come for a visit before,” said Keith. “Is there a special occasion?”

“Oh, right. I actually do have some intel to deliver to Shiro,” said Regris. They had gotten so distracted by their reunion that they had both forgotten about it. “Actually, it’s more like an announcement.” Regris’s tail and ears twitched with excitement. 

“An announcement?” Keith repeated, tilting his head. 

“I’m a communications officer!” Regris chirped, grinning brightly. 

“Oh, congratulations!” Keith said. He knew how much Regris wanted that job, but he still didn’t exactly know what it was. “What does that mean?”

“It means that I can go on field missions and relay information back to the Blade headquarters,” said Regris. “And I’ve been assigned to work with Voltron and the Coalition.”

Keith’s eyes went wide. “You mean…”

“Yes!” Regris cheered. “I’m going to be staying here with you!”

Regris surged in for another hug, the kind of hug that warmed Keith to his core and made his heart feel whole again. The missing piece of him had finally fallen back into place.


End file.
